John Royce – Page 43 – THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy

Man and the Prehistoric Horse

The advancement of civilization has required many changes in attitude in mankind, perhaps none more revolutionary than the idea that horses might be our partners. The lesson of prehistoric horses is that our world has possibilities that exceed not our grasp … but our attitudes.

Eclipsed by Shadow begins the story of an accidental journey though history by a young horse-enthusiast named Meagan. The first place she goes (though unknown to her) is prehistoric times … where she finds a band of wild horses.

Evidence exists of man’s earliest relations with horses over 20,000 years ago and, though details of prehistoric times can be murky, something not in reasonable dispute is that prehistoric man hunted horses long before domesticating them.

Horses haven’t changed much since ‘caveman’ times; equines are an ancient species that retain their natural instincts. Cavemen could have harnessed the horses available … yet it took tens of thousands of years to even begin learning how to do so.

Taming horses required a strikingly new attitude, something quite beyond the ‘kill eat food’ pattern prehistoric humans lived by. Once early man did change its outlook on horses, a whole world of possibilities opened that were unimaginable before.

The lesson of prehistoric horses is that the world can have potential that exceeds not our grasp … so much as our attitudes.

The Cave Horse (part 1)

Warm breath smelling of cut lawn blew on her neck. Meagan blinked in surprise but did not move. She thought of something else her grandfather used to say: “Horses are as unpredictable as people, only they have more sense.” – Eclipsed by Shadow (excerpt)

In the growing light, Meagan could see the horse was a mare…

The animal’s round belly was tucked into thin, drawn quarters and her cream-colored coat was mottled with patches of darker gray. The scrubby mane and tail were chewed off in spots, and her coat was covered in scars and puffy lumps.

“Poor thing, no one’s taking care of you.” Meagan’s voice was loud in this quiet place and many small eyes were quickly upon her. She decided to rinse off her coating of dust and grime, and knelt in the cool water to gently splash her arms. She inhaled deeply, drawing in rich scents of animals and earth.

Warm breath smelling of cut lawn blew on her neck. Meagan blinked in surprise but did not move. She thought of something else her grandfather used to say: “Horses are as unpredictable as people, only they have more sense.”

Meagan let the flutter of horse nostrils explore her hair as she reached slowly for the mare’s shaggy withers. The small gray horse half-closed her eyes as Meagan scratched gently to imitate the nuzzling greeting of equines. “A horse got me into this,” she told the mare softly. “Maybe you could get me out…”

Excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow, the award-winning 1st volume of “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy. (Hrdbk pg. 97)

Book II: The Golden Spark will be published Fall 2010.

Read the 1st Chapter online!

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#32- The Watering Hole

A horse with the unmistakable girth of a broodmare stepped haltingly to the water’s edge. When the mare lowered her head, blowing softly across the water, the whole band flowed in, heads high and ears taut. The stallion stayed back from the edge and paced the dark shore. – Eclipsed by Shadow (excerpt)

I will not panic, Meagan told herself bravely. It is only the legend. This was supposed to happen.

The edges of the water were becoming distinct in the gray light of morning. Animals were materializing around her. A horse with the unmistakable girth of a broodmare stepped haltingly to the water’s edge. When the mare lowered her head, blowing softly across the water, the whole band flowed in, heads high and ears taut. The stallion stayed back from the edge and paced the dark shore.

The horse herd spread along one bank, interspersed with small creatures that drank cautiously at the edge. One small gray horse began moving further into the riverbed in search of clean water, its steps comically high. “I think you have the right idea,” Meagan told the animal quietly. She stepped further into the warm water, feeling mud flow around her bare toes. If there were danger, the horses would know.

The gray horse’s soft eyes fixed on Meagan’s progress. Her grandfather often called horses the “nosiest animal in Creation.” He called curiosity a fatal weakness of the species … well, that and a fondness for oats.